This is my sweet cat Charlie. I realized I've written about Chester, my other cat a few times because he's such a bad cat but I haven't written about Charlie.

He isn't as pretty as Chester but he's a sweetie. He'll always come when you call him and he'll always answer with a meow when you say his name. In fact I play this game with him to see how many times I can keep getting him to meow when I say 'Charlie'. (kinda like Marco Polo) I've gone on for like 15 minutes before I get bored and give up.

Okay he, isn't the brightest, but who cares -- so long as I know he's not using me for food...

Obon is a Japanese Buddhist tradition. People believe that their ancestors' spirits come back to their homes to be reunited with their family during Obon. Obon is celebrated between July and August but mainly between August 13th and 16th in Japan. Here however, the Obon festivals take place some in July some in August.

We started out Saturday by visiting Forest Lawn and our parents.

Then we went in search of the Pasadena Hongwanji. I didn't even know there was a Pasadena Hongwanji. But apparently, there used to be quite a large Japanese population in the Pasadena Arcadia area. In fact Santa Anita Racetrack was used as a Japanese Internment camp during WWII.

But I digress. Pasadena Hongwanji was having their annual Obon festival or 'Matsuri'. Sushi, shaved iced, roasted corn, beef and chicken teriyaki, somen. All the first order of the business. These days, most of the Japanese are Nissei (2nd generation) or Sansei (3rd generation) so lots of spam musubi and beers floating around as well.

Around 6:30 was the main event - the Bon Odori! Plenty of folk dances and cute little girls dressed up in yukata (lightweight cotton kimonos) and boys in Hapi coats. The expert dancers were all in the middle of the circle and all you have to do is copy the 'easy' steps and make your way around the circle.

Next came the Taiko (drum) troupe. I really enjoyed them banging their hearts out. Good way to relieve frustration I bet.

All in all a good day. Oh and this coming weekend, there will be another bigger Obon festival at the Hongwanji (temple) in Little Tokyo.

Friday, July 23, 2010

Apologies for a week-long absence. Been busy with work and my shoulder has been aching. So hypochondriac I may be, but I went to the doctor today.

I really like the guy because he listens to me without judgement. Turns out it I have tendonitis of the rotator cuff. I'm like "Isn't that something that baseball players get?" He nodded and asked me how I think I got it. I remember it started about a month ago and that was the weekend we went cherry picking. Maybe I reached a little too high to grab that last cherry. Maybe not. Whatever. I'm glad for the validation that it isn't just my imagination.

Monday, July 19, 2010

First off, apologies for not posting but weather has been freakishly hot. I spent most of the weekend just trying not to move.

Anyway, I'm a bit of a hypochondriac and I'm convinced I've got some sort of lyme disease, or tendonitis, or pulled muscle of the upper left arm. I've had this condition for the last 4 weeks so I finally dragged myself to the pharmacy and picked up some Salonpas.

I believe this stuff originated in Japan. The Japanese version of Bengay. What kind of names do these remedies have, huh? Anyway, the active ingredients are 6.3% methyl Salicyiate, 5.7% menthol, and 1.2% camphor. As you can imagine, the smell is pretty overpowering. I mean, even the cats won't come near me.

I remember my Mom wearing these patches. The smell is very distinctive. Hey, but if my mother used them, then they must work, right? Anyway, I forgot I had a few on and went out for brunch Sunday. I think I ruined a few appetites.

Friday, July 16, 2010

So my sister says that just typing the words 'Megan Fox' will increase traffic to your blog noticeable. I am at 310 views at the moment. Check and see if it went up anymore.

I know, I apologize to anyone who visits looking for news on her. Maybe someday I'll meet her and write about it. -- Oh wait! I did encounter her. Or at least my back did.

I was at Rock Sugar restaurant in the Century City Mall with two dear friends. We sat down and were chatting away -- at least I was, until I noticed I was doing a monologue and my two friends were staring behind me. Being the cool, jaded person I am, I asked who was behind me. Turns out Brian Austin Green and Megan Fox had just slid into the booth behind me.

Now I remember Brian Austin Green from BH90210 but I hadn't a clue who Megan Fox was. Yeah, I'm the only person in America who hasn't seen Transformers, but that is another issue.

Whatever, my friends got over it and we got to the business of catching up, ordering food etc.

Along abouts dessert time, apparently Brian and Megan called the manager over (my friends overheard, I guess I can't hear backwards either) and asked if they could slip out the worker's entrance. Apparently they noticed some papparazzi outside.

Of course the manager agrees and off they go. We three non-celebrity types exit the normal way to find nobody outside waiting to snap our photos.

Thursday, July 15, 2010

I blew a fuse today, literally. It is like 100 degrees here today so I had the AC going and decided it was too hot to cook so I was microwaving my dinner and toasting bread in the toaster oven and bam! everything went dead.

I went out back and jiggled the switched on the circuit breaker but no go. So here I sit, in the sweltering heat, no light, the refrigerator is dead, and only a half hour battery life left on my laptop.

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Today I tried Uncle Lau's Island BBQ truck. I don't know that pulled pork BBQ sandwiches are really Island-style but whatevah. They did have loco moco and korean BBQ ribs so I forgive them.

I ordered a chicken katsu which is breaded deep fried chicken. It came with rice but instead of the traditional ton-katsu sauce, it came covered with curry. It was so heavy I couldn't eat it. It should have been called chicken katsu curry. I guess they ran out of room on the erase board or something.

Monday, July 12, 2010

I know, I should have posted this last week but my friend's fourth was so much more interesting than my own.

I had never been to the Pasadena Rose Bowl for fireworks. This year, I went to a home near the rose bowl. We drank Sangria and ate BBQ ribs and chicken, potato salad, we basically stuffed ourselves then dragged out the portable lawn chairs to Parkview Avenue.

Parkview Avenue overlooks the Rose Bowl. By the time we got there (around 8:30 pm) there was quite a crowd gathered. The weather was nice - not to hot, not too cold. People had cakes out, coolers and lawnchairs. Police had blocked off the street so we parked our chairs on the asphalt.

The fireworks were definitely spectacular. Largest display on the west coast apparently. I was even able to get a few shots with my idiot-proof point and shoot camera!

The fun was over all too quickly and we trudged back to the house where we had to wait for the traffic to ease up. Not a real hardship, though, as somebody brought this scrumptious blackberry cheesecake from Portos. After Portos I felt Portly!

Friday, July 9, 2010

As I followed some co-workers out to the Taco Truck row I heard one of them say "Lunch from a taco truck should not cost more than a sit down meal." So true! I silently added it should also fill you up, not leave you hungry afterwards.

Anyway, continuing on my Italian theme, today I had lunch at the Vesuvio LA truck. They were advertising a $3.00 Caprese with bread! I also added some arancini which are deep fried white rice balls with cheese and meats in the middle also $3.00I thought caprese was a pasta. Totally wrong. It was a spread of cherry tomatoes and buffalo mozzarella, basil in olive oil. Bread was good - buttered, no garlic!

Arancini was really good. How can anything deep friend NOT be good?But I do take issue with the guy taking the orders. I ordered a ca-pree-see. "You mean the 'ca-pray-say'? He said.

"I'm sorry, whatever. That thing on the board." I said, pointing to where it said 'caprese'. So snotty for a taco truck!!! Plus, who is he to judge me when the cook was obviously asian!

Thursday, July 8, 2010

Today I tried the SliceTruck for lunch. As the name implies, they serve pizza by the slice. I got myself a slice of what they call 'Grandma' pizza: Mozzarella, tomato, basil and garlic. I asked if they could give it to me without garlic but, alas, no. I felt sorry for my cubicle mates, but not that sorry.

It didn't come in a slice either. They gave me a square of it maybe 4.5" x 4.5". I gobbled it down in like a minute flat, but there wasn't that much of it. It was pretty yummy, except for the garlic -- which I was assured was very mild -- it wasn't. I had to stop for breath mints before going back upstairs.

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

This didn't happen to me, it happened to a friend of mine. I asked how his 4th was and he replied "Odd and sad."

"What?" I asked, surprised at his weird response.

He had invited a bunch of friends and family to his home in Palos Verdes because it is five minutes from the beach and they were doing fireworks over the water that night.

Getting all the chairs, and coolers and blankets down to the prime viewing location was a major operation. They finally got all their gear down, set up, and sat down to enjoy the fireworks which was to start in fifteen minutes.

Not five minutes later, a body of a woman washed up on shore. (dead, obviously).

Sunday, July 4, 2010

Of course I was pre-disposed to love it. I was so anxious to see it. For the past two "Twilight" movies, I had a friend who knew somebody who knew somebody who snuck me into an advance screening. They knew that letting this 'twi-hard' in early would only spread good 'word-of-mouth' for the film so there was no risk.

This time however, I felt bad asking to go early so I stuck it out. I also am working in a job where I cannot just up and take off for a few hours. So I had to endure it (ha!) while others told me how great this third installment was. I had to endure others describing how 'romantic' it was, how action-packed it was.

The trouble too was that everybody in my office and many of my friends are all into the 'Twilight' phenomenon as much as I am. While I love that it brings us all together, these last four days have been miserable.

I finally saw it yesterday and now feel restored as a full-fledged Team Edward member. Loved it, btw, and now have to endure the wait for "Breaking Dawn."

Yesterday I went on my supposed-to-be-daily morning walk. It was early so it was quiet and due to the june gloom, pleasant -- not too cold, not too hot. On my route, I pass through some areas of wide open fields. It is amazing how the landscape changes with the seasons.

In March and April, it was pink with a field of evening primroses. May and June was splendorous purple lupine. Now it is beginning to turn to the brown ugliness of brush fire kindle.

But this particular morning, I spotted some movement near one of the brush clumps. It was the cutest little brown rabbit. I had my cell phone with me so I snapped a few photos, thinking I would post the best here yesterday.

I had the best intentions, but for the life of me, I cannot figure out how to get the photo from off my phone to the computer. I've been through several phones and know how to download. But this phone I have now is a hand-me-down from my sister who gave it to me when she switched over to the i-phone. I think she bought it off the internet or something because the instructions seem like they are for the U.K. or Australia.

After struggling over it a while, I thought it would just be easier to post a photo of what the bunny "kinda" looked like. From now on, I'm bringing my camera with me.

Today I walked into an office full of Twi-hards. Did I mention I sit in the interactive department surrounded by co-workers young enough to be my kids?Anyway, a few of them stood in line last night for the midnight showings of Eclipse. Of course the buzz this morning was everything Twilight. I listened in as they reviewed their experience. More kissing, more action, more for Team Edward, but still plenty for Team Jacob to enjoy.

I am wearing my 'Bella's bracelet', staring at my Eclipse screensaver, have my Forks High School messenger bag tucked under my desk and proudly displaying my Twilight bookmark.My office is all Team Edward. One of them dared to ask “Is anybody Team Jacob?” To which I had to repeat something my niece-in-law or niece-once-removed (niece of my sister’s husband) who is in 7th grade said. “Team Edward is so passé. Everybody is Team Jacob now. Team Edward is for old people.”